Tap into the mindfulness of magical Menorca

Majorca wears designer clothes and heels, prefers cocktail bars and restaurants to clubs. 

Menorca, the third Balearic island, does not deign to compete with her more outgoing sisters; assured in her classical beauty, her charms are more discreet, holding special appeal for a certain kind of traveller.

Menorca can feel like the road less travelled but it still has all the benefits of the Mediterranean climate and a culture of hospitality. 

You can go off the beaten track without ever roughing it and sometimes that’s just the kind of holiday you need.

Should you choose to have a classic Spanish holiday where the hotel is the hub of your activities, that’s certainly on offer. The Zafiro is a generously proportioned complex. 

Within the grounds, there are apartments as well as rooms, and several pools which cater to families with children.

In nearby Cala en Bosch, there are hotels catering only to adults, also an option if that’s your preference. 

However, if you want seclusion and relaxation you could not do better than the Torralbenc.

To describe it as a converted farmhouse does not do justice to the restful surroundings. 

The extensive gardens, pool, terraces and rooms are all unified through a clean and simple aesthetic, restful on the eye. 

It offers wine-tasting and a small spa and the restaurant has an excellent menu. 

It has a limited number of rooms so the scale is smaller and the atmosphere more rarified than bigger hotels.

I’ve travelled a lot and spent many days in the lap of luxury yet I am so deeply enchanted by the Torralbenc, that I’d go as far as saying it’s worth travelling to Menorca just to experience this hotel.

However, if you travel to Menorca and never leave your hotel, you’ll be missing out. 

For a small island, it has an immense range of activities, day and night. All around the island, there are unspoilt beaches — meaning no concession stands — so if you’re planning to spend a day, bring a picnic (your hotel will certainly provide one). 

The best beaches are found in the embrace of Menorca’s many coves, the waves are gentle and the water is clear. It is a soft, magical and soothing way to spend a day.

Menorcans are especially fond of kayaks. We are not easily persuaded to try them, picturing ourselves navigating rapids or at the very least tipping into the water, but these kayaks are wide, almost impossible to overturn, easy for anyone to paddle. 

We spy a young family with an infant of a few weeks setting out for a lovely Sunday paddle thinking nothing of it, which makes it seem like a fine way to spend a few hours, especially in the gentle waves.

If you prefer your water therapy indoors, head for the thalassotherapy and spa experience at the Artiem Hotel. 

We are applauded by the Spaniards for stepping unflinchingly into the cold plunge pool after the various thermal baths (Irish Sea swimmers that we are) and enjoy an excellent massage, which is ideal after a late flight the night before.

There’s a path around the island popular with hikers and cyclists. If you like a challenge, pick a distance and follow the route of the Epic Camí de Cavalls 360º, a mountain bike and trail running race that takes place every year.

Overall it’s a verdant island, much more so than I expected considering all the sun, and walking in nature here is profoundly restful.

Menorca is a trove of ancient history. It has several uniquely well-preserved archaeological sites from the Talayotic civilisation, who existed there for centuries.

First, we visit The Naveta, a sacred burial space named for its boat-like structure. Secondly, we visit Torre den Galmes, one of the settlements, a mix of ceremonial spaces and living quarters. 

My mind spins when confronted with millennia, so I am thinking that these are more or less from the same era as the Beehive Huts in Dingle. Not even close.

The Beehive Huts are thought to be about 1,000 years old, whereas the burial grounds and ceremonial centres of the Talayots are more like 3,000 years old and are not only well-preserved but astonishingly sophisticated in design. 

There are watchtowers in the vicinity of these villages meaning they expected to defend themselves from sea invasions but even though Menorca has been invaded over time (it also has a Martello Tower) there is some evidence that several centuries passed in which people lived in peace and plenty on this island. 

It does my heart good to reflect that, right now, this is one of those times in its history.

If you want to experience more recent history (any year with AD after the numbers), have a wander around Ciutadella, the main city on the island. It is a quintessentially Mediterranean city with sandstone buildings and cobbled streets. 

It’s also hard to get lost because you can orientate yourself using the taller monuments. 

As someone who has a wonky inner navigation system, I find this contributes immensely to my sense of wellbeing when I am in parts foreign.

For a small island city with a small population, Ciutadella has an impressive art gallery, cathedral and museum, as well as lots of restaurants and bars. This is also where to go if you enjoy shopping. 

There is a centuries-old tradition of shoemaking on the island and although it came close to dying off, it has been brought into the 21st century with some bravura, updated styles and an online presence that expanded the market globally.

I am convinced to try on a pair of the famous Menorcan sandals, called abarcas. These come flat-soled or with a platform and in many colours for women — the palette for men’s is sadly less exuberant. 

Once I try them on, I am sold. Elegant yet easy to wear, they are a perfect souvenir, to remind me of the streets of Ciutadella and the island itself. 

My FitBit tells me we have walked 22,000 steps today and I haven’t even noticed. Can I attribute this to the quality design of the Abarcas or is it just easy, ambling around Menorca?

If you like art and beauty, it’s well worth taking a boat trip to Isla del Rey, which has a Hauser & Wirth gallery. 

The owners are better known for their commercial galleries in big cities around the world but they fell in love with the light and beauty of Menorca and created this one to celebrate local art (the exhibition we see expands the definition to mean ‘Mediterranean’, to positive impact) and create connection with the community. 

The local curator showing us around is manifestly enamoured with her job and her home, evidenced by a tattoo of Menorca near her ankle. Have lunch at the excellent restaurant and enjoy the view over the bay from the lawn.

Isla del Rey also houses the naval hospital built by the British in the 18th century. Say what you want about the British, they built things to last. This is a terrific portal into the past. I have to salute the workmanship that means it’s still standing today. There’s also ancient graffiti, now framed — everything becomes valuable with time.

It wouldn’t be a Mediterranean holiday if eating and drinking were not a big part of the experience.

I’m always struck by how it affects the pace and feel of a place when preparation and consumption of food and drink are at the heart of how a people live, and am equally struck by how it causes me to slow down and eat food mindfully over several hours. 

The most common way to eat here is in several small courses, although that’s not compulsory.

It is possible to have the farm-to-table experience on an actual farm here. We visit a typical Menorcan farm and lunch on their own cheese, along with charcuterie and local bread, followed by a tour of the dairy. 

You can also buy cheese to bring home — our Spanish friends don’t miss this opportunity.

In the evenings, there’s a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. We feel like we are in a movie dining by a marina, watching the glamour go by and eating at our leisure. If you want to get dressed up and splash out, you won’t do better than The Aquarium Restaurant in Cala en Bosch.

I did not think my absolute favourite place to visit on this magical island would be a quarry but Menorca has one more surprise in store for me. 

Lithica is a former stone quarry which, after it had been abandoned, was being used as a dump until a local artist rescued it. 

Thanks to her it has been celebrated as the vast man-made sculpture it is, and more sculptures have been added, as have gardens. 

Bit by bit it has been turned into an enormous art installation, concert space, floral maze, wedding venue — it’s a trip. Children as well as adults will love this testament to the transformative power of imagination and it’s breathtaking in scale.

Menorca is full of treasures, stimulates curiosity and is an especially peaceful place to be, to restore the spirit. It brings to mind a quote from The Tempest: “Be not afeard, The isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.”

That’s Menorca, in a Shakespearean nutshell.

• Mary Kate was a guest of the Menorcan Tourism Board